A shocking video of a man wielding a knife on a busy Tube train in the early hours of New Year’s Day is circulating on social media.
The clip, recorded at Highbury and Islington station in north London, shows a long-haired man standing in the doorway of a Tube carriage holding what appears to be a large kitchen knife, threatening a man and woman on the platform.
A bystander attempts to block the train door and defuse the situation, but the knifeman ultimately makes it onto the platform. A few moments later, he is shown having been thrown to the ground, while the man and woman kick and punch him.
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A video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday by a man claiming to be one of the knifeman’s targets appears to offer some context for the incident, which he describes as an unprovoked attack.
The man claims that he was dozing on the Victoria line train while returning from celebrating his 22nd birthday when he was awoken by his sister, who was being confronted by an aggressive stranger.
He alleges that, as the confrontation escalated, the stranger pulled out a knife and attempted to chase the brother and sister onto the platform at Highbury and Islington station, before being restrained by the brave bystander.
“He risked his life to help people preserve their life,” the man says, before recounting how he and his sister acted in “self-defence”.
A 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon, and British Transport Police are appealing for further information from the public.
“Knife crime and violence such as this will never be tolerated on the rail network,” police said in a statement. “Officers are working hard to establish the full circumstances leading to this incident.”
